Beaches and gigantic dunes in Maspalomas

Every year millions of tourists travel to Gran Canaria and stay on the Costa Canaria, located some 54 kilometres away from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which is actually the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana. It is true that the tourist interest of the municipality is particularly centred on the coast, especially in Maspalomas.

As one of the main tourist resorts in the south of the island of Gran Canaria, Maspalomas has several activities and points of interest. These include beaches, shopping areas, parks and natural areas. One of these that you really have to visit is the Maspalomas Dunes. This site, declared a protected area for the first time in 1987 and then catalogued as a Special Nature Reserve in 1994, covers almost 404 hectares of sand dunes distributed in irregular shapes and precedes the beaches of Maspalomas and El Inglés. Within this area, three main ecosystems can be distinguished: the mobile dunes, the Pond and the Palm Grove.

La Charca de Maspalomas, this small coastal lagoon surrounded by the sand dunes of the Reserve, is an area of high value for the island, both from a tourist and environmental point of view, as well as a very important bird nesting centre, as several species of migratory and resident birds can be observed there throughout the year. La Charca is the most important wetland on the island and home to a multitude of species of flora and fauna, most of which are protected by national and regional regulations.

Situated in a well-preserved area, this special corner has a unique and varied landscape, geomorphological, botanical and faunal value in the Canary Islands Archipelago.

One of the star beaches in the south of the island is the very long beach of Maspalomas. Almost three kilometres long, stretching from the lighthouse to the beach of Inglés, Maspalomas is a paradisiacal space of golden sand on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, where you can spend the day in the sun or enjoy the beautiful sunsets overlooking the lighthouse.

Bordered by the Dunes and next to the Lighthouse, Maspalomas beach is located in the tourist centre of the south of the island, and has a wide variety of services such as showers, kiosks, sun lounger and parasol rentals, as well as areas for water sports and nudism. The wide range of accommodation available around the beach, whether flats, hotels or resorts, as well as the convenience of the site for its various services make this a perfect place for a family holiday or a romantic getaway for couples in the sun.

Another star of Gran Canaria's beaches, Playa del Inglés is a favourite destination for families on holiday in Gran Canaria, and has been for years! Together with the adjoining Maspalomas, they make up the largest beach on the island at no less than 5.6 km long.

Like Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés has a wide range of services, leisure and sporting activities at its northern end, but going further south you can also enjoy a quieter and more secluded area where it is ideal to lie on the soft sand and sunbathe, or surf if you are a fan of this sport. Located at the foot of the hotels and surrounded by a wide gastronomic offer, there are many options for accommodation and places to eat near the beach.

Located at the end of Maspalomas Beach, the Maspalomas Lighthouse is one of the most historically and monumentally important civil buildings on the island of Gran Canaria. The construction of a lighthouse in Maspalomas began to be contemplated in 1861, but it was not until 1884 that the project was created by the engineer Juan León y Castillo. The works for the construction of the lighthouse lasted until 1889 and it was not before February 1890 that it was put into operation for the first time.

The Maspalomas Lighthouse is the most popular lighthouse in the Canary Islands, considered an emblematic symbol and one of the best known monuments in Gran Canaria, as it has been recognised as an Asset of General Interest since 2005, and is one of the oldest lighthouses on the islands that is still in operation. Since 1973, the lighthouse has been fully automated and is powered by conventional electricity, connected to the public grid.

Located in the tourist centre of Maspalomas, you can visit the interior of the lighthouse during opening hours. Its tower is still in operation, but the annex building of this monument has also been converted into an ethnographic museum that traces the history of Gran Canaria over the last 500 years, and includes images of the lighthouse, the dunes and Maspalomas.

Located right on the seafront promenade of Meloneras, this promenade is a very popular one with tourists, who often walk along it when visiting the island, and that throughout the year. Just a few minutes walk from the lighthouse, you will also find a shopping area with a wide range of leisure activities, shops and restaurants, as well as the dunes and beaches within walking distance. Busy both during the day and after sunset, the shopping area surrounding the Faro de Maspalomas has numerous bars and nightclubs, everything you need to enjoy a night out in Gran Canaria.

A 5* hotel at the foot of the lighthouse

There are several ways to get to Maspalomas, either by public transport or by car. In Gran Canaria, the intercity transport company is Global.

If you have just arrived in Gran Canaria and want to go to the island's tourist sites, you have to go up one floor in the departures terminal when you leave the baggage reclaim area, and follow the signs to the guaguas (buses) stop. Once there, bus number 66 starts its route from the airport departures terminal and takes you directly to Maspalomas, with stops at Playa del Águila, San Agustín, Playa del Inglés, Campo Internacional de Maspalomas before ending its route at the Faro de Maspalomas lighthouse.

Another option, if you arrive at night, is line 5 which leaves from San Telmo station in the northeast of the island to go to the south of the island to the Faro de Maspalomas. This has a night timetable and stops at LPA Airport.

In case you arrive in Gran Canaria outside the timetable of these bus lines, you always have the option of taking a taxi or renting a car. In this case, take the GC-1 to exit 46 towards San Fernando/Maspalomas (GC-500) which will take you directly to Maspalomas. This route is the fastest and will take you about 20 minutes to get there.